Cake Talk

Food Safety and the Bakery

Three of us took the eight-hour ServSafe class and exam a couple of weeks ago (we all scored 95% or higher). It wasn't that I had a burning desire to spend $450 on training.  But beginning in January 2010, we risk a critical health code violation if the person left in charge of the bakery does not have a food safety certificate.

While a bakery serving cakes and pastries does not pose the level of food safety dangers as a regular restaurant serving hot food, we did learn a few things, including these acronyms...

1. HACCP = Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points
2. ROP = Reduced Oxygen Packaging
3. NSF = National Sanitation Foundation
4. UL = Underwriter's Laboratory
5. TCS = Temperature Controlled for Safety
6. FAT TOM = Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, Moisture (the conditions that promote bacteria growth)
7. RTE = Ready To Eat
8. LPCO = Licensed Pest Control Operator
9. FDA = Food and Drug Administration
10. MSDS = Material Safety Data Sheets

Thankfully, almost none of the foods we sell at the bakery are considered potentially hazardous. But that didn't exempt us from learning all about Hepatitis A, Norovirus, Escherichia coli (E. coli), botulism and salmonella.  We also learned that cooking does not destroy Ciguatera toxins in predatory fish.  And we learned we should not use raw unpasteurized eggs for royal icing due to the risk of salmonella (no worries, we use pasteurized dry egg whites).

We learned the proper safe internal temperatures for various foods, most of which we would never cook, as well as the proper cooling and reheating methods.  Food reheated in the microwave must reach an internal temperature of 165^oF, and there are at least four different kinds of thermometers.  For utter "coolness," I liked the infrared type which you can just point at something to measure the surface temperature, but it costs $50-$60 and would break if dropped.

Hot foods should be held at 140^oF or higher, cold foods at or below 40^oF.  BTW, since our display cases are not refrigerated, this is why we do not sell cream-filled pastries and pies.

At least one of us learned that a small pile of paper and debris in the corner suggests a potential rodent problem, and not (necessarily) a poor sweeping or mopping job. And we all guessed (correctly) at the question about mechanical ware washing machine water temperatures (we can only dream about having a mechanical dish washer).

Our certificates will be displayed on the wall at the bakery as soon as we get them in the mail.  Be sure to congratulate Pat and Emily for a job well done.

Fun Gelato!

When we stopped making bread every day, we started making gelato. Lots and lots of gelato in many, many different flavors.

Dominic, the nice Italian man who sold me the gelato machine, also taught us how to make it. He calls it "fun" gelato. That means we spend more time on the fun part (mixing the flavors) and less time on the "not fun" part (cooking the eggs, milk and sugar for the gelato base).

We buy a base (Dominic calls it 'antifreeze' because it keeps the gelato from getting icy), then add milk, sweetener and flavors. We add ganache for chocolate, caramelized condensed milk for dulce de leche, mint syrup for mint chocolate chip, or espresso for coffee and mocha.

Then there the fresh fruits.  From strawberries and peaches to cantaloupe to mango, pears and bananas. Add-ins? We put Coldstone Creamery to shame with our own crumbled cookies, brownies, cheesecake, truffles, chocolate chunks, chocolate covered coffee beans, lemon squares and cinnamon rolls. Just to mention a few. After all, we ARE a bakery!

Did I mention liqueurs?  Amaretto, Kahlua and Limoncello for starters.  We even made coffee-anisette once.  Of course we don't use enough to get you drunk (too much alcohol inhibits the freezing process anyway).  We're just looking for taste here and often pair the real thing with non-alcoholic flavorings.

We will make any flavor once.  Some of our favorites (besides mint chocolate chip) are peanut butter reeces cup (peanut butter with crumbled Reeces cups), banana nut sundae (banana gelato swirled with ganache and toasted pecans), lemon, and caramel toffee crunch (with crumbled toffee).

We also make sorbets.  Among the most popular are fresh peach, cantaloupe, kiwi, raspberry-passion fruit, and pear.  The pear, made from fresh pear puree has the texture and full flavor of fresh pears, frozen.

Some come on down or call to see what flavors we happen to have.  Tell us you read our blog or are a facebook fan and we'll give you a 50% discount on gelato for the rest of 2009!

Just don't ask for vanilla.

More frozen desserts: sorbet and gelato

We're making gelato for a wedding this weekend.  I thought it would be easy.  The theme is a Tuscan wedding, and the savory menu includes boar, among other things.  This is also the wedding with the horse's ass groom's cake.  And we're making lots of Italian cookies, but I am getting ahead of myself.

The gelato flavors are pistachio, orange-fig, Limoncello, Anisette, Frangelico and pear sorbet.

Frangelico.  That's a hazelnut and chocolate base, with about a cup of Frangelico (hazelnut and herb) liqueur per quart of gelato base. Really, really good...

The pistachio is easy.  We use a dry pistachio base, add milk, and freeze.  It tastes great and we've made it many times. The orange-fig starts with a panna (cream) base, with orange extract and fresh figs (I remembered to freeze some when we were able to get them fresh a month ago). The pear sorbet is made with Pear William puree (see the kiwi sorbet recipe).

Ah then, the two problem children: Anisette and Limoncello.  Anisette is a sweet clear liqueur made with anise seeds.  It tastes like licorice.  Anisette-laced coffee is served at many Italian restaurants as an after dinner "digestiv."  They must not serve it at Italian restaurants in Alabama because you cannot buy it in the state-owned liquor store.  I had to have a friend buy it in Mississippi for me.  The clerk at the ABC store here didn't even know what it was.

The question then became how to make gelato from it.  We decided on a coffee sorbet with anisette added.  I used the entire bottle of anisette, and you can sure taste it.  This is clearly an example of "don't eat and drive."  My only concern at this point is that maybe there is so much alcohol in the gelato, it may not stay "frozen."  The caterer has been warned.

Limoncello.  The clerk at the liquor store had at least heard of it, but they don't carry it.  I could make my own, which I did, just in case my Mississippi connection was not successful procuring it for me.  Luckily, he came through.  Now then, how to turn this beverage into gelato.

Having learned (I hope) from the anisette experience, I don't want to use too much liqueur.  Limoncello is made from lemon essence, sugar, water and clear grain alcohol (think 190-proof, 95% alcohol, Everclear - something that will probably NEVER freeze).

So we focused on the lemon essence, sugar and water, making a lemon scented gelato, with some limoncello added.  I am thinking something between lemon squares and  a lemon cream pie, kicked up a notch.  Very southern.  And really good.

With all this talk about alcoholic beverages, you would never guess that Tuscaloosa, while not a dry county, is a place where you cannot be served alcohol on Sunday. Except in your own home of course, a concept that does not go unpracticed by many of the population.

Kiwi sorbet recipe - wow!

We had such success with Pear William sorbet last week I decided to experiment a little.  I had intended to get strawberries at the local market.  Or maybe mangos.  But for whatever reason, there were none to be had.  They did have overripe bananas, which I bought for banana bread.  I even considered making banana sorbet, but (no matter what you add) it usually turns brown after a day.  Then I saw the sign.

"Kiwis: 6 for $1"

Why not?  I like kiwis.  They were pretty ripe and soft, perfect for making sorbet.  And the price is right.  If it doesn't work I haven't spent a fortune.  I remembered from Culinary School that you really don't want to cook kiwis so the sorbet recipe is perfect.  Make up the sugar, glucose and stabilizer mixture.  Blend in the kiwis. Then let the freezer do its magic.

One problem.  The book I have with formulas for different fruit sorbets does not include kiwi.  I quickly scanned the table.  It lists how much sugar, glucose powder and sorbet stabilizer is needed for one kilo of each type of pureed fruit.  I used the formula for strawberry puree, but with a higher ratio of the sugar mixture, and slightly more stabilizer.  It worked great!  So here it is.  You will need a kitchen scale that measures grams.

Kiwi Sorbet Recipe

12 kiwis, peeled and pureed, about 600 grams of puree
250 grams granulated sugar
50 grams powdered glucose
4 grams sorbet stabilizer
350 grams water
1 tsp. salt

Combine the sugar, glucose, sorbet stabilizer and water in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sweeteners.  Cool completely over an ice bath, or overnight in the refrigerator.  Stir in the kiwi puree and salt.  Pour into an ice cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Makes about 1 quart.

Stabilizer is important to prevent ice creams, gelatos and sorbets from becoming gritty and hard when frozen.  You can leave it out if you intend to enjoy the sorbet immediately, but it is absolutely necessary if you intend to keep it overnight.  You can buy sorbet and ice cream stabilizer on the Internet.  We buy ours from Albert Uster, but PastryChef.com also carries it.

Great Farmers' Market Finds in Tuscaloosa

Just got back from the farmers market this morning, where I stopped on the way to the shop.  Bought eggplant, okra, tomatoes, squash and peppers.  We're really excited about the fresh produce, which is absolutely beautiful, and it is already being prepped for ratatouille and gumbo.

I know it sounds like a weird thing for a bakery, but we'll use some of the tomatoes, the squash, peppers and eggplant, along with fresh basil and thyme from our garden at the shop to make ratatouille.  We might eat some as-is, but it will be great in stuffed baguettes.  We cook it down so it is not too watery and wrap baguette dough around it, then bake until done.  The ratatouille is dedicated to my nieces and nephews who love the movie.

We'll use some of the tomatoes and peppers, all of the okra, and andouille sausage

Apple tarts are ready

These are fresh apple tarts made from the gravenstein apples I brought back from California.  They'll go great with the fresh plum gelato we just finished making from plums picked from the tree at my mom and dad's house.

This is just part of the menu for the Blues Cafe and Street Party tonight at the shop.  We've also made garden pasta salad, fresh tomato tarts (with sliced red onions, feta cheese, olive oil and fresh herbs), as well as spinach and feta quiche.